How to Hold Grief & Joy at the Same time: Grief Series EP. 1

Can you celebrate and grieve at the same time?

For a long time, I didn't think I could.

In this first episode of the Grief Series, I'm sharing a deeply personal story about the loss of my grandmother, launching my podcast the very next day, and the unexpected journey of learning how to hold grief and joy at the same time.

Two years ago, my grandmother passed away just 30 minutes before my birthday. The next day, I released my podcast trailer. Looking back, the day I found my voice was also the day I felt like I lost it.

For years, I struggled with the question: Is it okay to celebrate while grieving someone you love?

This year, I finally found my answer.

In this episode, we're talking about grief, love, loss, healing, and the realization that we don't have to choose between remembering someone and continuing to live our lives.

This episode also kicks off a brand-new series where we'll explore different forms of grief through honest conversations and powerful stories. Because grief isn't just about losing a loved one. It's about friendships, health, relationships, dreams, identities, and the versions of ourselves we've had to let go of along the way.

In This Episode:

✨ Why my birthday carries a deeper meaning

✨ The connection between losing my grandmother and launching my podcast

✨ Why grief can feel so lonely

✨ Learning that grief is a form of love

✨ Holding joy and sadness at the same time

✨ Why there is no "right way" to grieve

✨ An introduction to the Grief Series and what's coming next

Remember:

You don't have to choose between grief and joy.

You can miss someone and still laugh.

You can carry sadness and still celebrate.

You can remember and move forward.

Both things can be true.

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear your story. Reach out, share this episode with a friend, and join us as we begin this important conversation together.

Until next time, keep finding your spark. ✨

You can find me at:
https://www.instagram.com/cataton/
https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/

You can find what sparks me at:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/
https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/

Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler
Artwork by:  https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

Transcript

0:01

The day I found my voice was also the day I felt like I lost it Hey, friends. Welcome to the Inner Spark Podcast. I'm your host, Casey Peyton. If you're looking to hear stories of transformation and personal growth, this podcast is for you. My guest and I will be sharing those sparking moments that has changed them into living a more fulfilling, authentic life. I'm so excited for you to hear each unique story. So sit back, relax, and let's get started Hey, friend. Welcome back to the Inner Spark Podcast. I'm your host, Casey Tatem, and yesterday was my birthday. Happy birthday to me. I turned 43, and if you've been around for a while listening, then you know this time of year carries a lot of emotions for me. Not because I'm getting older, and not because of birthday parties, but because two years ago, my grandmother passed away on June 18th, right before my birthday. Actually, on my mother's birthday, 30 minutes before my birthday. And the very next day, I launched my podcast trailer Sorry. Give me a second. I have shared little pieces of this story before, but I don't know that I've ever really shared how much it impacted me. Because if I'm being honest with you, I don't think I fully understood it myself. When my grandma passed away, I didn't know how to celebrate anything, it felt like. I didn't know how to celebrate my birthday. I didn't know how to celebrate launching a podcast right after my grandmother passed away. I didn't know what to say to my mom, who had just lost her mom. Everything just felt heavy. And so I launched the trailer, and then I stopped. I literally stopped talking and podcasting, and I didn't come back until January 11th of 2025. And over the last couple years, I have realized something: nobody really teaches us how to grieve. We know how to throw birthday parties. We know how to celebrate accomplishments. We know how to tell people to stay strong. But we don't really know what to do when our hearts hurt. We don't know what to say to people. And honestly, most of us are terrified of saying the wrong thing, so we don't say anything. I know I was, even with my own mom. I remember wondering yesterday, do I bring Grandma up today? Do I say happy birthday? Do I acknowledge that she's gone? What do I do?" And what I've learned is there isn't a perfect answer. There isn't a perfect script. There isn't a timeline. There is just love. Because grief, to me, is love. It's love for the people we miss. It's love for the life we had. It's love for the moments we wish we could have had one more time. And the thing that hit me this year is that I don't have to choose. I don't have to choose between celebrating my birthday and missing my grandma. I get to do both. Yesterday I celebrated. I spent time with my family. I received all the beautiful messages. I let people love on me. I received it all. I laughed really hard and had such a good day. And yes, I also thought about my grandma. I thought about the cookies she used to make me. I listened to an old recording that I have stored in my voice notes of her singing And I missed her. And both things were true I was happy and celebrating, and yet I also still get to grieve my grandma I was celebrating and I was remembering, and that's exactly why I'm starting this grief series, because grief isn't just losing someone I've grieved friendships. I've grieved my health. I've grieved older versions of myself. I've watched families grieve children. I've watched people grieve marriages, jobs, dreams, and identities. Grief truly touches every single one of us, yet it's something we rarely talk about. We try to push through it. We try to stay busy. We tell people, "I'm fine." And sometimes we're anything but fine. So this series is about changing that. It's about having real conversations. It's about hearing stories from people who have walked through grief in all different forms. It's about learning that there is no right way to grieve, and it's also about knowing that you're not alone. Because if there's one thing I want you to take away from today's episode, it's this: You can miss someone and still live your life. You can cry and still laugh at the same time. You can celebrate and still grieve. You can carry sadness and joy at the same time. I know because I finally did it this year, and it felt different, and not because my grandma wasn't on my heart. Because I realized she's always going to be on my heart, and that's okay. That's love. So welcome to the Grief series, friends. Thank you for being here, and thank you for holding space for this conversation. And I thank you for allowing me to share a little piece of my heart and why this series matters so much to me. I can't wait for you guys to meet the incredible guests coming up and hear each of their own unique stories, because grief is part of being human, and friend, it's time we start talking about it I hope you stay tuned. This is just the kickoff of grief and the grief series, and how we can have grief and love and laughter and all the feelings all at once, and still be living a good life, and how to talk to someone when they're going through grief. So stay tuned. I am seriously so honored and so excited about this series because I know each and every one of you have a story of some sort, and maybe you haven't worked through it. Maybe you've been told to stop feeling those feelings, and I want you to know that grief isn't linear. Grief comes and goes, and it may hit you in five years, it may hit you tomorrow. And this series is all about Just being aware that it can hit you at any time, and it's okay. And it's okay to acknowledge that you're feeling it, and also to be able to look at someone else and hold space So thank you all for celebrating my birthday with me, and thank you for just listening to this podcast. If you have a story about grief, reach out to me, because I'm here to normalize talking about grief and all the feelings Thank you for tuning in to another episode. I hope today's story inspired you to embrace your own journey of growth and change. Remember, transformation isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. If you found something that sparked you in this episode and may spark a friend, I encourage you to go share it with them. If you have your own story you would like to share, I would love to hear it, so please reach out to me. Until next time, friends, go have some fun and let those sparks fly.